Jack Crow: Rouge Tactician
by FutureCam
Summary: Jack Crow, commander of a freedom fighting group known as the blackwings, is found by Lyn on the plains of Sacae. Lyn/Tactician - slow romance to start with. Slightly AU. Many, many OC's. Review saying which other pairings you want to see.
1. Prolouge: Sirocco's diary

Jack Crow: Rouge Tactician

By FutureCam

A/N: Yes, my first FE fic! FE7 was always my favourite game, and Lyn/Tactician is a (Slightly) Canon pairing with so much freedom!

This fic'll be slightly AU. It'll follow the plot of the game, but the Tactician is part of a group of Freedom Fighters called the Blackwings. And, yes, there will be Yu-gi-oh references in their names...

I'll shut up now, this prologue will explain the main plot.

Prologue: The Crow of Freedom

From the diary of Sirocco 'The Dawn' of the Lorca. Second in command of the Blackwing freedom fighters.

First entry:

I am in the Laus canton of Lycia as I write this.

Twenty years ago, Marquess Laus came to rule here.

Since then, bandits and pirates have plagued this land.

I remember the day I left the Lorca, my beloved tribe behind. Even my treasured niece, Lyn. I regret that choice, but I felt like I could help more elsewhere. And so, I went to Laus and joined the militia.

Hah. What a wrong choice.

So many years of inaction later, I was approached by a man who couldn't be more than Lyn's current age. I remember the day I met the man who changed my life.

The day I met Jack Crow.

His red eyes, his pale skin, slim frame, twin scimitars, and that long, messy black hair. That sharp face, and the cold and constantly angry look in his eyes.

He asked my to join his group of vigilantes. He too was tired of Marquess Laus' innaction against the threat.

I joined without hesitation. He dubbed me Sirocco 'The Dawn'.

The other founding members were all such strange individuals.

Mistral, 'the silver shield', was a knight clad in gleaming silver armor. His face concealed constantly by a silver mask. Quiet, wise and a fearsome warrior.

Fane, 'the steel chain', was the man whose trust and bond with his friends was as strong as steel. A finer shot has never been seen by my eyes.

Vayu, 'the emblem of honor', was the finest cavalier I've ever seen. Honorable, trustworthy, his word is stronger than diamond. Skilled with lance and sword, he was a fearsome foe.

Shura, 'the blue flame', was a mage of incredible power. His spells, for some reason, were all colored blue. He claims that he has 'altered' the usual spells for more power.

Then there was myself. A aging man with white hair, but still as strong as an ox. My ax has been described by Fane as 'the wrath of the gods themselves'.

And that brings me back to Crow. We called him 'The Crow of Freedom'. He was stealthy, skilled, and deadly. Perhaps his deadliest asset, however, was his incredible tactical mind. So many missions we went through, him using his strange gift of telepathy to tell us where and when to strike. We never lost a single man.

We dubbed ourselves the Blackwings. We had the image of black wings seared into our back by Shura's magic. We swore to protect Lycia from all who would dare attack it.

Twentieth entry:

Two new members. Two new fighters for Crow to command in our own personal war.

Gale, 'the whirlwind', is a swordsman of indescribable skill and speed. His jovial, cheerful and relaxed attitude was just what the troup needed. The 'hunting ground', as our base has been called, is suddenly a much less grim of a place.

Kalut, 'the moon shadow', is a thief and a rouge with the same personality as Gale. His skill with knives is, however, impressive to say the least. Our main problem with him is his obsession with getting our money by either gambling or stealing from us to 'keep his hand in'. Crow actually finds this quite amusing.

Twenty-fifth entry:

At long last, we have a healer! He calls himself Blizzard. Crow has dubbed him 'the Far north'. I must admit, the man is icy. His brother, Elphin, is a powerful user of black magic who has been called 'The Raven'. With their aid, he may

Fortieth entry:

I am crying as I write this. The Taliver, a group of bandit's we haven't dealt with yet, have killed all but one of the Lorca.

I am almost alone.

The one survivor is a young woman living alone there now. I pray that it's Lyn, my niece. The description matches her for certain. Crow has taken Kalut and Fane to investigate. He swore to lead us against the Taliver after he returns. My heart hungers for battle.

Fiftieth entry:

Kalut and Fane have stumbled back alone. Crow was lost in Sacae. Our hearts greive, but our mission must continue. We have been exiled from Laus, and seek refuge in the mountains near Caelin's capital.

My heart hopes that Crow is alive, and that he will somehow return to us.

Nay, my heart knows that the 'Crow of Freedom' is alive and shall come back.

And something tells me, he will be stronger than ever before...

A/N: So, what do you think? I've got quite good ideas for where this shall go as well.

Please review, anonymous reviews are accepted.

Here's a preview of the next chapter:

"_Where am I?" Crow asked, blinking. He attempted to sit up, but felt a sharp pain through his side and collapsed._

"_Don't sit up, you've been cut along the side." The young woman said. "Stay there, I'll get a vulenary."_

"_I hate to repeat myself, but where am I?" Crow asked, watching as the woman got the potion and poured it onto a cloth._

"_Sacae" She said "To be specific, the current home of the Lorca tribe."_

_Oh gods. The survivor. I've found her. Crow thought in astonishment._

"_Were any others with me?" He asked._

"_No, you were alone." the girl said, shaking her head. "Was there?"_

"_Yes, but, if I know Fane and Kalut, their probably alive and in a pub somewhere." I said with a chuckle "Then they'll probably get an army and come look for me."_

_She laughed. It was a mystical enchanting sound._

"_I'm sorry, I don't think I got you're name" Crow said "I'm Jack Crow."_

"_Lyn of the Lorca" She said, shaking his outstrectched hand. Jack froze for a second inside._

_Sweet father sky...I've found Sirocco's niece! Crow realised in astonishment._

Yeah, I won't be following the game's cheesy script.


	2. Last of the Lorca

Jack Crow: Rouge Tactician

By FutureCam

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Here are the responses:

Caellach Tiger Eye: There's going to be some female members of the Blackwings that join while Jack's away. Also, sorry about the cheesy line, I couldn't find my Thesaurus.

Demoness Drakon: This is kind of an Alternate Universe, so although it follows the main plot, the Blackwings play a prominent role. Think of them as a 'good' Black Fang – they don't have much hold in the story until later on in the story.

Chaos Hero Mark: I hope you will enjoy where this will go.

Chapter one: The last of the Lorca

Crow shifted and moaned. He opened his eyes to see a blue canvas roof.

_What the? _He thought _where am I?_

Then he remembered. The Taliver had attacked and split him off from Kalut and Fane. They managed to get a few hits in on him, but he managed to kill them all. He must have passed out.

"You're finally awake!" A female voice called "I was actually getting worried!"

Quite possibly the most beautiful woman Crow ever saw walked into his line of sight. Crow immediately checked that his jaw hadn't dropped.

"Where am I?" Crow asked, blinking. He attempted to sit up, but felt a sharp pain through his side and collapsed.

"Don't sit up, you've been cut along the side." The young woman said. "Stay there, I'll get a vulenary."

"I hate to repeat myself, but where am I?" Crow asked, watching as the woman got the potion and poured it onto a cloth.

"Sacae" She said "To be specific, the current home of the Lorca tribe."

_Oh gods. The survivor. I've found her._ Crow thought in astonishment.

"Were any others with me?" He asked.

"No, you were alone." the girl said, shaking her head. "Was there?"

"Yes, but, if I know Fane and Kalut, their probably alive and in a pub somewhere." I said with a chuckle "Then they'll probably get an army and come look for me."

She laughed. It was a mystical enchanting sound.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I got you're name" Crow said "I'm Jack Crow."

"Lyn of the Lorca" She said, shaking his outstretched hand. Jack froze for a second inside.

_Sweet father sky...I've found Sirocco's niece!_ Crow realized in astonishment.

The pair heard a loud noise from outside. Lyn went to investigate. She cursed under her breath, and turned back to Crow.

"Bandits. Probably here to raid and kill the other tribes. I have to stop them!"

"I can help..." Crow said, getting up.

"You're in no condition to fight." Lyn said sharply "Sit back down."

"I'm a tactician as well" Crow said, just as sharply.

"And how is a tactician going to help in the heat of battle?" She asked, both curious and annoyed. Crow decided to show her what he can do.

"_It helps if you can talk with your mind"_ He sent. Lyn jumped back, startled. Crow laughed "So, will you let me help or not?"

"Come on then, Crow." Lyn said, grabbing a sword and moving for the door. Crow smirked and followed her.

*********************

Crow surveyed the battlefield. Three bandits, all armed with axes. Idiots, don't they know that practically all nomads – well, apart from Sirocco – fight with swords and bows? Poor fools. He turned to Lyn.

"Right. There's one other there, on the other side of this hill. Another a few minutes away, and their leader, the big lout, is standing at the rear threatning his men." Crow reported "Even though leading by fear never amounts to anything...do these fools ever learn?" He sighed.

"So, what's the plan?" Lyn asked, hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Simple and effective. Pick them off one by one. Get the one over his hill first. And do it quickly – I think he's heard us." He said sarcastically. Lyn, startled, nodded and dashed for it.

_Father sky, she's fast..._ Crow thought in disbelief _She could give Gale a run for his money..._

He looked around the hill and watched as Lyn slashed her sword across the bandit's gut. He let out a cry of pain, and brought his ax down – painfully slowly, in Crow's eyes – which Lyn dodged easily. She then stabbed the bandit through the heart. He screamed as he fell, and the other bandit noticed and ran towards her. Crow cried out a warning, but Lyn only just dodged his strike. It grazed along her left arm. She let out a cry of shock, before beheading the bandit with one clean strike. Crow walked up to Lyn.

"You should probably heal that" He commented

"It would have been worse if you hadn't warned me." She said, wincing.

"Oh, for – give me your arm." He said, bringing a vulenary out of a pouch on his belt.

"Fine." Lyn muttered. Crow poured it onto the wound, and Lyn gritted her teeth.

"Stings, doesn't it?" Crow asked humorously.

"Is it done?" Lyn asked, ignoring the last statement.

"Yes. Now, go get their leader. He's coming our way..."

Lyn jumped up and ran. Crow walked after her.

"Wha? One girl and a boy? How did you beat me boys?" The leader said in disbelief. Lyn, ignoring him, slashed at his leg. The bandit dodged, and brought his ax crashing down on Lyn's back. Thankfully, it only grazed the skin, but it also knocked her down. Lyn moaned in pain as she fell into unconsciousness.

"No matter. Yere both ded anyway" The bandit bragged "After all, ye don't stand a chance against-" He cut off when he saw Crow.

"Impossible..." He whispered. Crow grinned.

"Improbable, maybe. But not impossible." He replied. Somehow, a dagger appeared in his hand and he threw it at the bandit. It thudded into his throat and the man crumpled with a gurgle. Crow shook his head and walked over to Lyn. He shook her shoulder and was rewarded with a faint moan. Shaking his head – realizing, with some amusement, that he did that a lot - he picked her up bridal style and carried her back to the ger.

***********************

Sirocco 'The Dawn', acting commander of the Blackwings. Official Log entry number One.

This is the first entry in my log. I refused to continue Crow's, despite Elphin's insistence, as that would mean I believe him dead. I cannot believe that.

We have been joined recently by a young woman called Marcella. I have called her 'The Sun Spear'. She rides upon a Pegasus, which, strangely, has golden feathers in her wings. Kalut and Fane claim to have a plan that will help us find Crow. I am to meet with them in two hours.

I hope that it'll work...

*********

Lyn moaned and woke up to a smirking Crow.

"Deja vu, much?" He said jovially.

"Oh, shut up. What hit me?" She asked

"Only about two tons of muscle and ax. I'm surprised you woke up this quick." He said, shrugging "Maybe you're tougher than I thought."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lyn said, glaring.

"Oh, nothing, nothing." He said seriously "I'm leaving, by the way."

"What? But you're injured! You can't fight! I'm coming with you!"

"Say what?!?" Crow yelped "Oh, nonononono. No you're not. You've got family here, and-"

"No I don't. I'm the last of my tribe."

"So the rumors were true...the Lorca has only two survivors." He said softly.

Her head shot up.

"There's another?" She asked breathlessly.

"One another I know of. Guy named Sirocco. Good man." He said airily "You'd like him. In fact, I'm leaving to meet back up with him."

"That settles it. I'm defiantly coming with you."

He shrugged

"Suit yourself" He said _This is NOT going as planned..._ he thought grimly to himself.

Chapter End.

A/N: So, was this chapter any good? Yeah, there's going to be random diary entries by Sirocco as a little sideplot. Let you know what's going in the world of my OC's.

Please read and review, I accept Anonymous ones, just so you know. I'm not begging or anything, Honest!


	3. Footsteps of Fate

Jack Crow – Rouge Tactician

Chapter two: Footsteps of Fate

A/N: Welcome Back! Sorry this took so long... I've been working on SSB: Reckoning – A lot. And FE6 with an English mod is just too bloody addicting...

Now for the Review Responses:

Demoness Drakon: Oh, don't worry, the telepathy has a good explanation...but it won't come up until Eliwood's tale. If this is successful enough to warrant me doing that part of the game, that is.

Patattack: Thank you for the compliment, I hope you think something up soon.

Cozman: Tell me if this is going in the wrong direction and why – I don't want to ruin my story

5-digit: The OC's are only briefly mentioned at the start and you'll slowly be introduced to them. That was just so you know who the blackwings are composed of.

CHAPTER START

Lyn and Crow walked in through the gates of Bulgar, a large town near the former campsite of the Lorca tribe, with the intent of purchasing supplies and a pair of horses. They pushed their way through the mass of people, and Crow perked up at the sight of a stable nearby.

"Thank Father Sky, my feet are killing me!" Crow complained "This is why I miss Fane..."

Lyn looked at him strangely. "What's that got to do with anything?"  
"He's got my bloody HORSE!" Crow yelled. Lyn burst out laughing.

"It's not funny." Crow muttered. "After all, now I have to buy a new one..."

The pair walked into the stable and, after much haggling, Lyn came back out leading a chestnut mare. Crow came back out with a near-empty money purse leading a black stallion.

"Why did I have to pay?" He complained.

"Because I payed for the supplies" Lyn reminded him "So, consequently, I'm broke."  
"Dammit." Crow muttered and kicked a nearby stone. "How's the back?" He asked conversationally.

"Fine. How's the side?"

"Doesn't hurt, it's just stiff. I wish we had enough money for the temple of healing...I hate having my movement restricted." Crow grumbled "If I could fight..."

Crow's next complaint, however, was stopped by a cry from a nearby cavalier.

"Oh! Such Beauty!" The green-armored knight cried, walking towards Crow...and more specifically, Lyn.

"Oh, boy..." He sighed, shaking his head.

"Wait! Could you bless me with your name! Or better yet, your company!"  
_Sweet Father Sky..._ Crow thought in astonishment _His pick-up lines are worse than Shura's!_

"Excuse me, who exactly are you?" Lyn asked the knight, clearly annoyed. Crow did a quick look over the knight's armour.

_Lycian...Caelin Canton...Hmmm, no rank insignia, that's strange..._

"I am Sain, the Green Lance of Caelin! One of Lycia's finest knights!" He cried, striking a pose.

"_And apparently one of it's finest windbags"_ Crow sent to Lyn telepathically. She put a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles. After she had regained her composure, she shook her head and turned back to Sain.

"Well, Sir Sain, I suggest you move, you're blocking the road." She said firmly. Then, another knight in red armor walked over.

"SAIN!"  
The green knight paled. Crow grinned like a cheshire cat.

"Ah, Kent, my boon companion. What brings you -" He was cut off by Kent delivering a rather firm slap to the back of his head.

"_I like him" _ Crow sent to Lyn, his smile somehow getting bigger.

"You fool! We still have a mission to complete, Sain" The red-armored knight – Kent, was it? - admonished Sain.

"Oh for the love of – Will you two move already?! Those horses of yours are blocking the road!" Crow said, finally losing his patience. Sain and Kent shifted uncomfortably, and Lyn couldn't blame them – getting glared at by Crow's red eyes wasn't a pleasant experience for anyone.

"Of course. Apologies." Kent said, dragging Sain away by the ear. However, when his gaze fell on Lyn, he stopped abrubtly.

"Excuse me, I feel like we've met before" Kent said, oblivious to Sain's repeated shouts of displeasure.

"I don't think we-" Lyn started, but Sain butted in with:  
"HEY! No fair, Kent! I saw her first!"  
Crow slowly started edging away from Lyn as she got angrier and angrier. She gave of a menacing aura only matched by Elphin and that mercenary Crow worked with for a while -What was his name? Raven?

To Crow's amazement, Lyn kept her composure. To a certain extent.

"Hmph. It seems there is no honor among Lycia's knights. Come on, Crow – It's time we left."

"Couldn't agree more." Crow admitted.

As the two left, Crow heard snippets of the knights conversation.

"Sain, you LOUT!"

"Hey it was true! It looked like you were hitting on her to me!"

"I. am. Not. You. GOT IT?"

"Y-yes sir."

The rest of the conversation died away in the crowd. Crow, shaking his head, followed Lyn towards the city gates.

************************

Sirocco's log, entry two

As I write this, Kalut, Fane and Shura have left for Araphen. They believe that a contact they have there could give them more information about the current location of Crow.

If he's alive, that is...

************************

Lyn and Crow had gone a decent distance from the city gates, before another man – a fighter or bandit from the looks of him – stepped out in front. He had a rather large ax slung over his shoulder.

"What do you want?" Crow snapped. His patience had been worn thin with the encounter with the two knights of Caelin, Sain and Kent. The man ignored him, and continued leering at Lyn.

"So, you're the one, eh? Good looking too – such a waste. The thing's I'll do for money" He let out a dramatic sight "Ah, Well. Can't be helped. Get em' lads!"

Lyn had barely opened her mouth to ask what the man meant, when Crow dragged her to the ground. A hand ax flew over their heads and buried itself in the tree behind them.

"Take cover!" The tactician barked, drawing his scimitars. One brigand approached, swinging his ax, only for Crow to dodge and slice the man's throat. The death scream of another man told him that Lyn had engaged successfully as well.

Just when Crow thought it couldn't get any worse, a pair of horses came charging down the road. He spun, kicking his current foe in the head, knocking him out, to confront this new enemy. He froze.

"Oh, not these morons..." He muttered. Sain and Kent came charging down. Sain attempted – and failed rather epically – to lance the one who threw the hand ax earlier. As Sain charged past him, the axeman landed a rather large hit on his leg, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Does that moron know anything about the weapon's triangle?" Crow said in disbelief, before smashing the hilt of his sword into the face of another bandit.

"What weapon's triangle?" Lyn asked, dodging another bandit's attack herself.

"You know, Swords are more maneuverable than axes, lances can slip past a sword's guard and axes can smash a lance aside." Crow said, watching as the red-armored knight sliced the head off Sain's intended target. He then proceeded to yell at Sain – Crow caught something about 'Idiot, Flirting and Forgetting to buy a new sword' before throwing Sain his spare one. Sain then proceeded to charge another bandit, only for that one to duck behind a tree as well. Crow could have killed something – well, he did actually, he stabbed another bandit in the throat. This time, however, Sain escaped with no injury, and rounded back to stab the same foe through the heart.

"What are those two doing here?" Lyn asked in disbelief, killing the final foe.

"At least their on our side" Crow replied "Thank Elimine for small mercies." He added. However, Lyn had already diverted her attention to the two knights.

"You, there! Your name is Sain, right!"

"Yes, ma'am! Do you wish to know what to call me when you are -"

"Finish that sentence and you're a dead man." Crow growled, fingering one of his throwing daggers.

"Yes, sire" Sain said, gulping as he rode over.

"Enough" Lyn growled "You appear to be injured. Do you require a vulenary?"

"Ah, my angel, such a wound is not-" A dagger thudded into the tree next to Sain's head, followed by Crow yelling:

"If you don't take the medicine and shut up I'll make you need three battalions of healers to recover from what I'll do to you!"

Sain gulped, and took the proffered vulenary.

"Thanks, Milady." He muttered, dowsing his wound.

"You're welcome." Lyn replied.

At that point, Kent came riding up. He proceeded to dismount, walk towards the trio, and – most surprisingly of all – salute Lyn.

"Milady, it is an honor to meet you at last."

"I'm not a lady..."  
"But, you are the Lady Lyndis, are you not?"

"Lyndis..." Lyn whispered, looking hurt.

"Is something wrong, Milady?" Kent asked, worried.

Lyn shook her head. "Nothing. But... my parents. When we were alone, they would call me Lyndis and tell me tales of how my Mother came from Lycia..."

"The Lady Madelin?" Sain interrupted.

"Yes, that was her name..."

Crow looked on, horrified. _Sirrocco knows a member of the Lycian League's family?!?! I'm gonna kill him when I get back. The use I could have done with that..._

"Milady, we were sent by your grandfather, Marquess Caelin." Kent continued. "We are to bring you back to Castle Caelin so he can see you. You see-" Kent's voice broke here, displaying an emotion other than anger at Sain for the short time Crow had known him. "He's dying. His brother, Lundgren, is poisoning him in a takeover bid for Caelin's throne. He just wishes to see his last member of his family before he dies."

"Pity he won't be able to, then, will he?" A voice snarled. The leader of the brigands leapt out of the bushes, diving at Lyn "I always keep my job! And Lundgren pays good money!"  
Crow leaped into the way, revealing his face and eyes to the bandit just as one of his blades cut through the man's black heart. The brigand stared at him in horror.

"You..." He whispered "It can't be...The crow of..." His eyes rolled into the back of the head. Crow collapsed to the ground, panting. Blood stained the side of his shirt.

"Say, Lyn? Maybe I shouldn't be on the frontlines for a while. I think the wounds reopened-" Crow's voice grew weaker and weaker until he finally collapsed into unconsciousness himself.

*************

A/N: As before, I'm sorry for the late update. I was preoccupied. The next chapter should be up in around... two weeks. As always, read and review.


	4. Shrine of Spirits

Jack Crow – Rouge Tactician

By FutureCam

Chapter three: The Shrine of Spirits

A/N: I hate life. I'm doing well (80+%)in every subject at school other than French (49%), so now I have an over-demanding tutor to go with my over-demanding parents. For those who can't read between the lines, Me failing French = NO TIME TO WRITE! GAH!

At least this isn't _that_ off-schedule. Thank (Insert your higher deity here.) for small mercies.

Maybe I should change my update schedule to 'Whenever Possible'.

****************

Crow shook his head and moaned. He slowly sat up, ignoring the searing pain in his side, and took in his surroundings.

_Some kind of Shrine_ He realized.

"Deja Vu, much?" A feminine voice said with a slight laugh from behind him.

"I guess so, Lyn" He replied, smiling slightly. "Where am I?"  
"The Shrine of Spirits" She explained, walking over to him. "It's said that there is a strong connection to the spirits here. It's also the location of the famed Mani Kati."  
"This kills two birds with one stone" Crow commented.

"How so?"  
"Well, you'd want to receive blessings before your new journey, and I needed a healer. Sorted." He said offhandedly, getting up. Lyn looked away quickly, hiding her blush.

"What?" Crow said, throwing on his shirt "Never seen a guy with his top off before?" he teased.

"Oh, shut up." Lyn said, her cheeks still flaring. "And I have – although both times I was preoccupied with stopping him from bleeding out." She continued with a mock-furious look at Crow.

He laughed and shook his head. "Point. So-" He said, grabbing his swords "What's the plan?"  
"We go to Caelin to see my grandfather with those knights." Lyn said, checking her own sword.

"Again, two birds with one stone" He said, offhandedly "The other remaining Lorca is in the mountains above the capital. We could use his help in getting rid of Lundgren, if he really plans on stopping you arriving."

"Excellent." Lyn agreed. "Now, all we need is-"  
Crow shushed her.

"Can you hear that?" He said, worriedly.

Lyn strained her ears. She could – people had broken into the shrine. At that moment, Kent and Sain burst into the room.  
"Milady Lyndis! Bandits – they're attempting to steal that sword you mentioned!" Kent said, sword already drawn.  
A slow grin crawled across Crow's face.

"Do they know we're here?" He asked.

"No" Sain replied, shaking his head "They're too occupied by the local militia."  
Crow smirked.

"This. Is. Too. Perfect." He said "They won't know what hit them."  
He immediately went into 'Telepath' mode.

_'Kent? Sain? Can you hear me?' _he sent.

"What the hell?" The two knights yelped, shaken.

'_I'll take that as a yes_' Crow sent, sighing. He switched back to vocalization. "I'll explain later. For now..."  
He sneaked a look out the door. A group of axe-armed bandits were holding the priests prisoners, while their sword-armed leader was attempting to pull the Mani Katti free.

"Okay. I have a plan" He said. '_Nod when you receive my instructions. Sain, you go get the leader. You're lance can slip past his defences._'

Sain nodded.

'_Kent. I want you to go and help the local militia outside. The village must not fall._'

Kent nodded and left through a side door.

'_Lyn. You and I shall save the hostages_' He sent. Lyn nodded.

'_Ready...GO!_'

Sain charged out, yelling a warcry as he went straight for their leader. Lyn and Crow turned the corner and killed the first two out of five bandits they came upon. The others charged forwards, and Crow found himself fighting one while Lyn handled two.

"I wish I was healed completely" He muttered, slamming his sword into his foe's shoulder, before slicing the main vein at the groin with his other scimitar. He jumped to the side to avoid the spurting blood.

"They'd all be dead by now if I was." He muttered, pausing to take stock of the situation. Lyn had felled one of her foes, and the second was badly injured, while she wasn't even scratched.

_She's got potential_ He noted, smirking. He turned to face Sain's fight with the bandit leader, and watched as his lance **slammed** into the bandit's shoulder, going all the way through and breaking the collarbone as well as causing the extreme bleeding. Crow winced.

"Painful..." He muttered. At that instant, Kent and his horse burst through a wall to the leader's left and, lance extended, charged straight at the stunned bandit. He rode past, looking like he had missed, but Crow saw the thin sliver of blood on the lance, but what really clued him in was the ridiculous spray of blood that came from the leader's throat. His hands went to his neck reflexively, and he collapsed to the ground, very, very dead. Kent rode back over towards Crow and Lyn.

"Milady Lyndis, Master Crow, the threat to the civilians was eliminated." He reported, dismounting.

"I noticed" Crow said, dryly "You did finish them off quickly, though"

Kent shrugged.

"I believe they were more there to prevent priests from escaping the shrine more than anything else, Master Crow" He said "They seemed rather surprised to see a fully-armed knight charge at them with his sword drawn."  
"Oh? Did I miss a chance to revel in my heroism in front of the civilians?" Sain asked.

"Yeah, yeah, if by that you mean 'show off for the girls'" Crow muttered. Sain looked at him in shock.

"How did you-"  
"I'm a telepath, you moron." Crow said acidly.

"Just how did that happen?" Lyn asked, curious. "You've never told me..."

Crow froze.

"I don't like to talk about it." He said, darkly "If you want to keep friends with me, then do not ask again."  
**********

Sirocco's log, entry 3

By now, rumors have begun to spread among the Taliver – that the Crow of Freedom was back from the dead and moving towards Caelin with a young girl, the last survivor of the Lorca.

With this knowledge, gained from one of our raids into Taliver territory, we are filled with confidence that Kalut's mission will succeed. To prepare for their arrival, we are finding out all we can about the rumors of Lundgren attempting a coup for the throne. Lundgren has never liked Crow on the odd occasions we collaborated with Lord Hausen to help prevent bandit raids. Lord Hausen, on the other hand, enjoyed Crow's company immensely. That's the main reason we haven't been chased out of the Hunting Ground yet...but if Lundgren gets control, The blackwings are, for lack of a better term and to take a page out of Gale's book, really, really screwed.

**********

After finding the head bishop hiding in a chimney stack, and giving him the time to change into clean robes, the four companions were standing in the - slightly – cleaner altar room as the locals attempted to clean it up.

"Could we have made any more mess?" Crow asked, mystified by the destruction they had caused. At that point, a chandelier that had been weakened by Kent charging through a wall earlier, smashed to the floor.

"I guess so" Lyn muttered, slightly ashamed. At that point, the bishop came bustling in.

"Thank you, brave warriors, for protecting the Mani Katti-"  
"And the town, and your lives" Crow muttered. He'd never understood religion.

"As a reward" The bishop continued, glaring at the black-haired man, "I shall allow you to attempt to draw the blade."  
"Thank you, holy one" Lyn said respectfully, sending a very pointed glare at Crow, and she walked over. Her hands clasped over the hilt of the sword, her fingers moving carefully around it. It felt...right.

She held the hilt with her left hand and slowly pulled on the hilt. To her surprise, not to mention Crow's, as he'd watched the bandit leader attempt to draw it for almost the entirety of the battle, it came out completely with that small effort.

Pretty much everyone there dropped everything – unfortunately for one of the injured priests – and turned to look at them.

"Oh, bugger" Crow muttered. "We have a fan club."

As Sain opened his mouth, Kent cut in with.

"No."  
"But-"  
"No"  
"But I only want to-"  
"No"  
"Just one-"  
"NO!"  
"Please-"  
That one was cut off with Crow and Kent punching him in the gut at the same time. He sank to the ground, writhing in pain.

"Is he always like this?" Crow asked Kent curiously.

"Unfortunately, yes"

"God's give me strength."  
During that conversation, Lyn came back, the Mani Katti now strapped to her waist.

"Ready to leave, boys?" She asked, playfully.

"Yeah. I see you got a new sword" Crow said, bluntly.

"Seemingly, I'm the only one that can wield it." Lyn said, confused "Apparently, if someone else tries to draw it, it used to just stay stuck, but now they'll get a scorched hand."

"Nice" Crow said with a grin. "Come on, then" He continued, walking towards the stables "Let's get out of here before they decide they want it back"  
**************

A/N: Little bit of comedy at the end there – Sain is so fun to make fun of :)

See you again....eventually. If my French teacher/parents/tutor/overenthusiastic cat don't kill me first.


	5. The Truth

Jack Crow: Rouge Tactician

By FutureCam

Chapter Four: The Legion

I am so sorry that this took so long! I swear, it wasn't meant to! If it makes you feel better, I got kind of guilty when I realized that VG Cats updates more often than this... I promise, though, this chapter's going to be long, and it's going to be worth the wait. I hope. Either way, the exams are out of the way so I should be updating slightly more often for a while (Read as: Until mid-march, you may get one or two more chapters). After that, I've got to work like hell.

Review Responses:

Pattatack: Thanks! And, trust me, you don't want to know about the cat...vicious little...

Demoness Drakon: Yeah, could you tell me if Crow is moving towards Stu-dom and I'll rectify it. I don't want to portray him as some kind of ridiculously powerful god-like being, I'm saving that for my Smash Bros fic.

Chaos Hero Mark: Trust me, I want more chances to update too.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem. I do semi-own the Blackwings, Crow, and (I think) The Elemental Sword Styles.

**********

Sirocco's log, entry four

Two days ago, Gale and Marcella left on a 'Reconnaissance Mission'.

One hour ago, Mistral found a note in his now-empty money chest saying 'Gone to find boss. Needed to borrow some cash. Gale&Marcella'

...The Blackwings are beginning to fall apart. Elphin has sent a message to Kalut, Fane and Shura telling them to come back. To add to my worries, it turns out that many cantons are beginning to support Lundgren more often.

This is NOT going well. I hope Jack gets back soon, if ever, because if he doesn't, then I don't think even we could prevent a civil war at this moment...

*******

The companions had rode through the day, and were reaching the mountains separating Sacae and Bern when they decided to stop. Crow had spent the last several hours attempting to regain his former physical abilities, but that accursed cut to his side had refused to heal completely, even with the priest's help at the Shrine of Spirits.

_It must've been a rune sword or something...no normal blade can leave a wound for this long._ He thought, shaking his head _Looks like I'm hampered until we meet up with Sirocco – and more importantly, Blizzard – in Caelin. Speaking of which...how the hell am I going to break who I am to Lyn-I mean, them? Ah, well, I suppose it'll come to me eventually._ He shrugged mentally at the last statement.

"Master Crow." Kent said, walking over to him.

"For the last time, stop calling me that." Crow muttered, sitting against a boulder. "I'm not a lord or anything."

"If what Milady Lyndis has told me about you is true, I don't think it'll be that way for long." Kent continued stiffly. "Lord Hausen will be sure to reward you for your acts in her aid."

"My acts?! She's saved me from bleeding out _twice!_ I'm just paying her back, and we happened to be traveling in the same direction anyway." Crow protested.

"I doubt Lord Hausen will see it that way, Master Crow."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Crow said, getting up and stretching "What did you want me for?"

"...Lady Lyndis is missing, sir."

There was a moment's silence.

"What did you say?" Crow asked in disbelief.

"Well, not missing as such, she's just... training. Away from us. She told Sain she needed some time alone to think." Kent shuffled, looking almost embarrassed "She's been gone nearly two hours, though."

"Alright, I'll look for her. You two stay here, guard the camp." Crow said, gathering up his Scimitars.

"Yes, Master Crow."

*******

Lyn hacked forwards into another tree with the Mani Katti, watching as it also fell to the ground in two.

_Without a scratch on the blade, too..._ She thought in awe, before turning to another and repeating the process. Crow quickly hid behind a tree, before thinking better of it and crouching behind a rock instead.

_What's gotten into her?_ He thought, shaking his head.

Lyn cut down a few more trees, before standing between two of them, her sword held horizontally behind her. She took a few breaths, concentrated, and spun, Mani Katti extended in one hand while the other supported her elbow. The three trees surrounding her collapsed to the ground. Crow recognized the move from one of Gale's Secret Books.

_The elemental wind style...Tornado Slash technique. _Crow thought, rather impressed _I didn't know she knew any moves from the elemental combat styles._

Lyn sat down on one of the stumps she'd left behind, exhausted.

"Why can't I get this out of my head?" She moaned. "It's been ten days! I shouldn't be thinking like this about him this early..."

Jack quickly decided that it would be best if he didn't hear the rest of this monologue, and decided to step in.

"Impressive strike, Lyn" He called out, moving forwards. Shocked, the lord spinned around, the Mani Katti heading towards Crow's neck, but he lazily leaned back to dodge it.

"Good reaction times, but you need to be slightly less predictable." He mock-scolded, smirking.

"Shut it, Crow." Lyn replied in the same tone, sitting back against the stump. "Why are you here?"  
Crow shrugged. "Kent thought you'd been away too long. He has a point, it's not exactly safe for you to go alone with all of those assassins after you."

Lyn hung her head in disappointment. "I suppose you're right..." She moaned. "Crow, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Is it...normal to-"  
"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT PEGASUS KNIGHT THINK SHE'S DOING!" Crow yelled, staring at the sky. Lyn looked up quickly.

"Florina?"

************

The Pegasus knight in question was, at the minute, dodging various Hand Axes and arrows from a group of bandits below her.

"Get er'! That winged horse of hers landed on the boss!" One of them shouted.

"I'm sorry!" Florina cried, hugging against her Pegasus' neck. _I've got to get away from them...but how?_ She spotted a familiar head of green hair, along with a rather shocked-looking black-haired man.

_Lyn!_

She started to swoop down towards them...

**********

"You know her?" Crow asked, urgently.

"Yes, why?"  
"THEN WHY THE HELL IS SHE DIVE-BOMBING US!" Crow yelled, pulling Lyn onto the ground as Florina swooped over their heads. Unfortunately, this left them in a rather...awkward position. Apparently, Elimine had a sense of humor as that was when Sain showed up.

"Am I...interrupting something?" The knight said, staring at the entwined swordsmen.

"Shut up." Crow muttered, untangling himself from his friend. As soon as she was free (And not blushing) Lyn ran over to Florina and started talking to her. Crow was a bit occupied by the horde of bandits swarming up the hill.

"Just great..." He muttered, drawing his swords "I have way too much bad karma. Sain, give me a hand."  
The two warriors set about cutting a swathe through the ax-wielders with great efficiency, despite Crow's disability.

_I am going to be SO glad when this injury is healed properly..._ He thought bitterly, ducking another swing.

**********

At the crest atop a nearby hill, a female Pegasus rider with blond hair, in golden armor, looked in shock at her companion, a green-haired swordsman in a purple combat tunic.

"Isn't that..." The rider started, slowly  
"It sure is." The swordsman replied, getting up. "Let's go give the boss a hand, shall we?"

"Yes. Lets." The rider agreed, mounting her Pegasus.

*********

Sain was smashed back by a ferocious blow from who he took to be one of the bandit's elites. As the warrior raised his ax to deliver a killing blow, an arrow dived into his throat. Looking up, Sain saw – to his disappointment – that his savior was a brown-haired archer.

"My thanks, friend!" Sain called to him. The archer nodded in response.

"No problem. Anyone against these bandits is a friend of mine" He said, cheerfully. "My name's Wil. Who're you?"

"Sain, the Green Lance of Caelin!" Sain said proudly, about to boast before Wil brought him back to reality by shooting another bandit about to kill him. "Uh, thanks" Sain finished, lamely.

"Again, not a problem."

***********

"Listen, Florina, I appreciate the concern, I really do, but this is a bit dangerous for a knight-in-training-" Lyn said, before her conversation with Florina reached a sudden stop when a throwing ax thudded into a tree a short distance from their heads. Florina took off for the skies, while Lyn dove into combat, the Mani Katti like quicksilver in her hands. Within a few moments, Kent showed up as well. He stared in disbelief at the mass melee in front of him.

"Why is it, that every time I let Sain out of my sight for five minutes, does a war break out in his general vicinity?" He moaned, slapping his face before readying his lance and leading his down the hill.

**************

As all of this was going on, Crow was telepathically telling everyone what was going on, and whose side Florina and Wil were on. His abilities had, once again, terrified everyone – much to his dry amusement – but they had understood it, and he was soon combining everyone's actions to an almost completely synchronized war machine. The bandit's didn't know what hit them, and it was only with barks of encouragement and threats from their leader that they continued to fight. Unfortunately for their leader, letting himself be known to the enemy wasn't really a good idea.

Crow dashed through a sudden opening created by a combination of Wil's archery and a few select javelins from Florina, and headed for their leader. The bandit's eyes widened when he saw him.

"You..."

"Yes, me." Crow smirked, slashing at the bandit's arms, hoping to disarm him. Unfortunately, the bandit saw this coming and dodged out of the way, moving surprisingly quickly for someone so large, and raked his ax against Crow's back. He was knocked to the ground, winded, and rolled over to see leader preparing to finish him off.

_What a way to go..._ He thought, smirking _Beaten by some wannabe out of sheer luck._

"And now" The leader laughed grimly "The Crow of Freedom is struck down by Migal, the mighty!"  
A new, sarcastic voice struck in.

"I wouldn't count on it." The purple-clad swordsman said, moving into view and drawing his Ōkatana. "You'll have to beat me to kill the Boss, and that won't happen in a million years."

Crow's jaw dropped.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"  
"Apparently? Saving your ass." The swordsman smirked. "Now, let me finish, will ya?"  
He raised the Ōkatana above his head, pointing it towards Migal and raised his other arm to point at the same person. Arrogantly, he gestured him forwards. Migal obliged with a roar and charged forth, swinging his ax.

The Swordsman disappeared, and then reappeared behind Migal.

Migal's head fell off.

"Nice." Crow commented as he scrambled away from the spout of blood previously known as Migal's neck. "Showoff."  
"Whatever, boss. You should be glad I showed up!" The swordsman crowed. Unknown to him, another bandit had sneaked up from behind and was about to slice into him before a short spear smashed through his chest cavity. The Pegasus rider landed behind him.  
"What did I tell you about watching your back?" She said, playfully.

"Shut it" The swordsman said. "And for your information, I was –"

"Bragging to Boss?"  
"Well, yes." He said, embarrassed.

"Who is this?" Crow asked, staring at the rider.

"A new recruit." The swordsman shrugged. "She enlisted while you were gone, boss."  
"Boss?" Lyn asked curiously. Crow's eyes widened into an 'oh shit' expression. He breathed deeply and slowly, before turning to face the curious faces of everyone he'd met so far.

"I haven't been completely honest with you, Lyn. Kent. Sain." He said, apprehensively. "And I suppose I owe you a full explanation."  
"Yes. You do." Kent growled.

****

A few moments later, the group was crowded around a campfire, staring at Crow and the new arrivals. Crow took another deep breath.

"Like I told you, my name is Jack Crow. However...I am also known as the Crow of Freedom, commander of the Blackwings. A resistance group located in Caelin, near the capital."

Lyn, Florina and Wil gaped at him. Sain fell off his chair. Kent's face whitened, and he gripped the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white.

"You..." He whispered harshly.

"I see you've heard of them." Crow muttered, smirking briefly. "These people are Gale, the Whirlwind." He gestured towards the Swordsman, who smirked and raised a hand in acknowledgement.

"Hey." Gale said, cooly.

"And this is a new recruit, taken on during my absence." He guestured to the Pegasus rider, who just glared at him.

"My name's Marcella. The Sun Spear." She introduced herself, proudly.

Gale muttered something about how it specifically shone out of a specific orifice, which led to him getting punched. Hard.

"As I was saying..." Crow continued, slightly confused. "We-"  
"No." Kent said, harshly, getting up and marching over to Crow.

"I'm sorry?" Crow asked, looking up at him.

"Don't keep talking. Keeping a secret like that was dangerous, and you betrayed our trust!" Kent growled, dangerously. "In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that you've proven yourself too valuable to loose, I'd ask you to leave."  
"Kent, Marquess Hausen himself supports the Blackwings, why don't-" Sain began, only for Kent to deliver a glare so intense it made him shiver.

"Enough." Kent said bitterly. He turned to the rest. "It's getting late. We should make camp." He said bluntly, moving over towards his saddlebags.

Lyn looked at Crow for one, fleeting moment, hurt in her eyes, before going to help him. Crow noticed.

"What have I done?" He whispered.

"From my perspective, I'd say you just lost all respect in your comrade's eyes, and also hurt your crush by keeping such a secret from her."  
"Shut up, Gale." Crow snapped, trying to not let the 'Crush' part affect him too much.  
"Shutting up, Sir."  
Crow sighed and looked at the stars. "What have I done?" He repeated to himself.

*******

Maybe not the best ending in the world, but it worked for me! And allow me to say one thing:  
Plot twists FTW!

Okay, it's not a real twist, it was always going to happed eventually, but it came sooner than I thought it would.


	6. Trust Us Part One

Jack Crow: Rouge Tactician

By FutureCam

Chapter five: Trust us

A/N: Nope, no notes. None at all. Until the end of the chapter

Disclaimer: If I owned Fire Emblem, do you really think I would be writing an AU of it on a fanfiction site instead of releasing another game?

********

Sirocco's Log, entry Five  
DOES NO ONE RESPECT MY AUTHORITY! Kalut and Shura refused to come back, and Fane decided to stay with them. LYCIA IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A DAMN POLITICAL WAR THAT COULD CHANGE TO A REAL ONE AT ANY MINUTE AND THEY DON'T SEEM TO CARE! Father Sky, I hate these morons sometimes. At the very least, Elphin is going to attempt to contact Gale soon. That way, we might find out more about Crow's fate...

*********

The companions had split into two groups, consisting of the Blackwings at the rear, with Lyn and the knights at the front. Wil had gone scouting, and Florina was guiding her pegasus along the ground behind the knights. Gale glared daggers at the knights.

"Do these fools not know that we just helped saved their lives?" He muttered "I swear, sometimes I just want to..."  
Crow sighed and blocked out the rest of what Gale was saying by attempting to contact Wil.

_Wil? Have you found anything yet?_  
There was a brief pause before Wil replied.

_Not much. I've got an old fort over here, but it looks damaged. If more bandits come after us, I'm not sure we can hold it._

Crow smirked.

_Gale by himself could hold the open main gate to Castle Ostia against these bandits, no matter their numbers. As long as it has a roof and a few walls, it'll do._

Another pause.

_Yeah, it's got those._

_Thanks._

Crow shook his head and looked up. Long-range communication with someone he couldn't see always gave him a headache. He swiftly rode forwards to catch up with the others, leaving a complaining Gale and an exasperated Marcella to guard the rear. Lyn saw him ride up and turned her head away, while Kent glared at him. The only one who didn't protest about his prescence was Sain.

"Sain, Wil's found somewhere to stay for the night. It's not much, but it's some walls and a roof to protect us from the worst of the weather." Crow said, trying to hide how hurt he was from the other's rejection. Sain nodded in acknowledgement.

"Alright then, how bad can it be?"

"My thoughts exactly. Head west a few degrees, and we should find it shortly." Crow finished, turning back to his Blackwings. "Seeing as I'm not wanted, I might as well put up with Gale as a companion for the trip." He muttered sourly as he rode back.

*****

A few minutes later, the group had managed to catch up with Wil.

"C'mon. It's this way." He said, nodding towards a crumbling old fort in the middle of the plains.

"Wha? You've got to be kidding, Wil! We've got to be able to do better than that!" Sain moaned when he saw it. Gale laughed.  
"Are you kidding me? This place is brilliant! Choke points, Narrow halls, thick walls...Give the Boss five Blackwings and some provisions and he could hold this against all comers!"  
"Thanks for your support, Gale" Crow said, dryly. Lyn turned her head from him.

"It'll do, Sain. Who wants to sleep in an inn anyway? I'd much rather sleep under the stars!" She said with a small smile, taking care not to look at any of the Blackwings.

"Charming, that is." Gale muttered. "Completely ignore my points, and go on about how nice it will be to sleep under the stars. Women."

"Shut up, Gale" Marcella said irritably, hitting him over the head with the butt of her spear.

"What?" He asked, innocently.

"Uh...Excuse me?" A voice timidly asked from the main entrance to the fort. Not a wise move, considering that Gale was alert and rather fast. There was a brief 'swoosh' sound as Gale dashed forward, a slight 'eep' sound, and Gale had his sword at the neck of a brown-haired woman in blue clothing. She was unarmed.

"Uh...sorry about that." Gale muttered, removing the sword. "Can't be too careful. Bandits and all that."

"It's...okay." The woman said. By now the rest of the group had caught up, and Marcella slapped Gale. Again.

"That...seems to happen to him a lot." Wil muttered to Crow. Crow nodded.  
"Quite. If she hates Gale that much, I'd hate to see what she thinks of Shura..."

****

Meanwhile, In a pub five miles north of Kathalet...

A blue-haired mage stopped looking at the two travelling performers on the stage – or more correctly, the young blue-haired Ilian girl, who was currently dancing rather well – for long enough to shudder. His companion, a blonde thief, glanced at him.

"What's wrong, Shura?"  
"Nothing, Kalut. Just feel like sombody wants me dead."  
"Marcella again?"  
"Probably."  
"Heh. Remember the time when she dropped your Fire tomes off her pegasus into a river?"  
"Don't remind me..." Shura moaned. He stopped and glanced at a group of black-robed men who just entered. "Potential contact?" He whispered to Kalut.

"No, it's perfectly normal for a group of armed men to enter a bar and tense up, ready to spring into a fight – of course it's a bloody potential contact!" He hissed back. It was at that moment that the group struck, heading towards the pair of travelling performers with their weapons drawn.

"Remember! Lord Nergal wants them alive!" Their leader, a Shaman with a brown beard yelled.

"Take action now?" Shura asked, reaching for an Elfire tome.

"Take action now." Kalut agreed, curling his hand around the hilt of his short sword. He suddenly dashed forwards and sliced the throat of the lead conspirator, before spinning around and kicking his body to the floor. Swiftly, he ducked an incoming blow and rammed his blade into the offending attacker's groin, severing the artery and causing the man to begin to bleed out. He danced back and positioned himself between the two children and the group, sword arm crossed across his chest with the blade pointing out towards the foe.

As the group stood, stunned, at the sudden carnage wreaked among them, Shura sprang into action. Selecting one of the spells in his Elfire book, Osep's Flaming Missiles, he quickly yelled the incantation and sent five minature orbs of blue flame towards the group, one coming from each finger on his left hand. One of the attackers received a missile to the head, another collapsed to the ground after three sunk into his chest, and their leader yelled out as one barrelled into his shoulder, searing the flesh and knocking him backwards. Cursing, he threw a handful of Warp Powder on the ground and quickly yelled out an order to 'Get the children!' before he vanished. The remaining four bandits formed a square and confronted the thief and mage.

"What do you want with them?" Shura demanded.  
"Like we're going to tell you!" One yelled, charging him. Quickly, Shura attempted to cast his spell again, but failed to complete the incantation before he had all the air in his lungs forced out by a punch to his diaphragm. Years of training with Sirocco, another ax user, had trained him to jump to the side whenever he took a blow to stop the decapitating stroke, but doing so caused him to crash into a table and sink to the ground, cursing. Kalut attempted to help him, but two more of the bandits, both sword users, blocked him and forced the Thief on the defensive. The fourth made a dash for the children, and reached out a hand, closing it around the girl's arm, and let out a howl of triumph-

Thunk.

The howl was cut short as the man fell back, an arrow between his eyes. Slowly, a black-haired archer in brown robes and leather armor stepped over the body, before loosing two more arrows, dropping Shura's opponent and one of Kalut's. Kalut swiftly finished the final one by cutting his hamstrings, and then his throat when he dropped to his knees.

"What took you so long, Fane?" Shura muttered as he pulled himself up.

"I've got news." He reported. "Crow's alive."  
Kalut sighed in relief, while Shura punched the air and let out a cry of "Hell yeah! Who the man! The boss the man!"  
"Never say that again." Kalut said, turning to the two children. "Your safe now. What did they want with you?"

The boy shook his head. "We don't know. All we know is that they've been chasing us for the last three months." The girl nodded in agreement.

"We just want them to stop...we can't stay anywhere, they'll always find us."

"Well, don't worry. We'll look after you." Fane said with a small smile. He leaned in towards them. "Trust us. We're the Blackwings."  
******

Crow glanced up from his attempts to start a fire when Wil walked into the center chamber. It had been a few hours since their encounter with the woman, Natalie, who told them of her husband Dorcas. Personally, Crow thought that he was probably dead by now, but decided not to mention that to her.

"Evening, Wil"

"Yeah. Hi." The archer replied drowzily. Crow smirked.

"Not used to being on watch?"  
"Not really." Wil replied, sitting against the wall. "But Kent and Sain have taken over at the main gate, while Lyn and Florina are watching the side door with Natalie."  
Crow nodded. "Well, at least they still listen to me, even if they don't trust me." He muttered, finally getting a spark off his flints into the fire. "About bloody time!" He muttered in satisfaction.

"Where's Marcella? I saw Gale sleeping on my way in..."  
"I sent her ahead to check up on the nearest town. She should get back with a report in a while." He replied. "There shouldn't be any problems, but I'd personally like to know if the roads clear."

"Oh, alright." Wil shrugged. Jack sighed and got up.

"Keep an eye on the fire. I'm going to check the defences." Crow told him. Wil just nodded in reply and shut his eyes. Crow smirked as he left, and kicked the sleeping form of his Myrmidon companion as he passed.

"What was that for?" Gale protested as he got up, holding his side. "First Marcella, and now you?"  
"Shut up, come with me." Crow said in reply, not stopping.

"Okay...why?"  
"I need your senses to make sure I'm not being paranoid." Crow told him. He moved towards a segment of the wall, and pushed one of the loose bricks. Gale's jaw dropped as the wall segment swung out, revealing a secret back door.

"Well, you weren't paranoid about that..."  
"It's not the exit, Gale. Think. There's no birdsong, why?"  
"...Uh, it's getting late?"  
"The sun hasn't set. You might be right, but there's another potential answer – Sacaen birds often leave before danger. Second thing, why haven't we seen anyone else pass by."  
"...We're in the middle of freaking nowhere?"  
"Wrong. We are in the optimum route for traders who don't want to risk bandits travelling to Bulgar. So...why haven't there been? In fact, why didn't you and Marcella see any traders on this route when you were looking for us?"  
"...Because there's been an increase in bandit activity in this area recently – oh, bugger." Gale finished as he realized the implications of what he said.

"Indeed. That was the missing piece of information I was looking for." Crow replied. "They weren't looking for Traders, that was a cover – bandits don't come this far east, they prefer the main road. They're looking for Lyn, like the last two groups we encountered."  
"...And if the birds can 'sense' danger..."  
"I think we may about to become under attack." Crow said flatly. "I'd get your sword if I were you."

Gale left quickly. Crow looked out over the fields, and spotted something – a brief reflection of the setting sun off a piece of metal. And then again. And again. Crow managed to count at least fifteen different reflections, and deduced that his guess of 'may' had become 'we have five minutes to get ready or we are all going to die'.

"...I am really not enjoying my life recently." He muttered, before dashing inside to check with the rest.

****

A/N: This chapter was going to be longer and include the rest of Level Four, but it was taking too long. And therefor, you'll have to wait until next chapter until you get to see Lyn's Legion delivering ungodly amounts of pain. Hopefully that chapter won't take as long to complete.

See you next time!


	7. Trust Us Part Two

Jack Crow: Rogue Tactician

By FutureCam

Chapter six:

A/N: This is the last update I can make until July, due to exams. Bloody hell, I wish that this story would let me get to the interesting parts quicker...like Araphen...

Disclaimer: If I owned Fire Emblem, then the Tactician would appear in some shape or form in every game. But I don't.

...crap.

Kent knew they were in trouble. For the last fifteen minutes, 'his portion' of Lyn's Legion - himself, Gale, and Sain - had been forced to withdraw further into the breaking-down fortress as the bandits wore them down with sheer numbers.

"What did you say about being able to hold this place?" Sain yelled at Gale, who leaped away from a slash and countered, giving Sain the briefest look.

"Hey, I remember saying if he had a bunch of Blackwings the boss could hold this place, and he has one – _me_." He shot back, diving forwards into a trio of ax-wielding bandits. The three were surprised by the ferocity and skill that Gale had, as it had far outstripped that of the two cavaliers their companions were fighting. "How d'you like that, you bastards?" Gale taunted as he cut the three down. "Not so tough now, are you?"

At that point, Wil came dashing down a side corridor, Crow on his heels. "They've broken through one of the walls back there! More of them are coming!"Wil shouted at the group, before spinning around on his heel and firing an arrow into some unseen target.

"How many are there?" Sain groaned in disbelief.

"By my count, twenty are coming up your way, and five are following us." Crow replied, stepping in front of Wil. Sure enough, five more bandits, one with an arrow sticking out his shoulder, came charging around the corner and set upon the pair with gusto.

"...You have got to be kidding me." Kent said flatly, blocking another ax. "If you're right, we can't hold out much longer."

At that moment, Lyn, Florina, Natalie and some red-haired ax-fighter came crashing around the corner and, with the exception of Natalie and Florina, dived into the mass melee the rest of the legion was fighting in. A trio of swordsmen came around the corner, but Florina – fighting on foot due to her Pegasus still being in the center room of the fort – managed to hold them off with her lance, barely surviving until Wil added a few shots into one of her opponents, killing him and allowing her to dispatch the last two.

"That's all from our side" Lyn shouted across the hall at Crow "What next?"  
_Push forward, all of the remaining foes are here anyway. We need to regain the advantage in this fight, and to do so, they need to be retreating._ He sent. The ax-fighter jumped back and cursed, a terrified look on his face. Crow face-palmed – he was getting tired of this. _...ax-fighter, whatever your name is, I'll explain later, got it?_

The fighter nodded.

_Good. Get back in the fight, then._

The fighter nodded again, before charging after the stunned bandits.

"I don't think they expected us to be this good." Wil said confidently, knocking another arrow. Crow suppressed the urge to hit the back of his head.

"Just stay focused on your aim. We only need to drive them off, and we need accurate fire support to do that" He replied, giving his scimitars a few spins before diving back into the fight. Wil shook his head and aimed another arrow.

"Whatever you say..." He muttered, releasing it. He missed. A slightly amused voice materialized in his head.

_I told you so._

"Shut up, Crow."

"We're lost."  
"For the one thousandth time, Kalut, we are NOT lost."

"Alright then Shura, what's the name of the next town?"

"...Kathelet?"

"...Shura, that's where we came from-"

"WILL BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP?" Fane yelled, getting up. "YOU ARE _MEANT_ TO BE PROFFESIONALS!"

"Well, if Mr. Magic over here can't find his way around a house..." Kalut muttered, before Fane decided to talk in the 'language of Sirroco'. In other words, a punch to the face. As the thief staggered up from the ground, clutching his bleeding nose, Fane glared at Shura.

"Here's what we're going to do. We are going back to Kathalet, wait for news of the boss, and protect Ninian and Nils while doing so. Understood?"

"...Yes." Shura stammered in reply. Kalut just nodded. As soon as Fane turned his back, Kalut muttered "Jackass."

"I heard that."  
********

Sain ducked another ax for what seemed like the thousandth time that hour. _For the love of..._ He thought, only to be interrupted by another ax whistling towards his head. "How many are there!" He yelled in frustration.

"About fifty more." Crow replied "But their morale is breaking, so we shouldn't need to-AAGH!"  
Sain looked over to where the Blackwing leader had fallen. "Jack!"

A particularly large bandit stood over him, waving his troops forwards. "Come 'on, Lads! They've lost their leader!"  
At that moment, a purple blur dashed past Sain, and the two bandits he was fighting fell back with bleeding stumps for arms. The leader turned and, somehow, managed to block Gale's Ōkatana as it dashed towards his jugular.

"Step. Away. From the boss." Gale snarled, and lashed out at his foes legs. The bandit leader jumped back, and gestured his troops forward towards the Blackwing. Gale's eyes hardened, and he got into a battle position, sword pointing forwards and feet apart.

"You want to try and beat a master of the Wind style of fighting? Try me."

Two of the bandits dived forwards, and Gale charged forwards to meet them. He slashed horizontally with his blade, slicing the two, and continued forwards to their leader, who attempted to bring his ax down in a feeble attempt to stop the swordmaster, but he simply ducked inside the blow and quickly delivered two diagonal slashes – one from the left hip to right shoulder, the other from left shoulder to right hip – followed by a final thrust through the chest, before Gale drew the sword out and decapitated the man.

There was a brief silence as the bandits stared at the Blackwing in horror. So did most of Lyn's Legion.

Gale smirked. "Boo."

The bandits panicked and, with a scream of 'They got the boss! Run!' stampeded out of the fort.

"Thanks, Gale." Crow muttered, pulling himself up. "That could have gotten nasty without you."

"Looked like it already did." The swordmaster replied. "Anything serious?"  
"Just a few scratches." Crow shrugged. "No big deal."  
Gale looked at him. "You know, I'm sure you used to be faster..."  
"Runesword or something hit me in the side during the trip here. I think it's done something to my muscle structure... I'll have Blizzard look at it when we get back."  
"Sounds good to me."  
Crow turned to face Lyn's Legion. "Alright. I think we've seen them off for now, so get some rest. We need to move before dawn tomorrow or they'll just be back with more troops at their backs. Is anyone injured?"

It turned out that Florina had a rather nasty slash across the leg, and Kent had a large cut across one of his eyes.  
"Ouch." Gale muttered, looking at him. "That musta hurt."

The knight nodded back at him.

"Alright. A vulenary should stop the bleeding and fix Florina's leg, but until we find a healer you're going to have one hell of a scar, Kent." Crow informed him. The knight took the proffered potion and left.

"...Is it just me, or did it get colder in here?" The ax-fighter said. Crow turned to him.

"Sorry about that, mister..."  
"Dorcas."  
"Right. Dorcas...wait...you're Natalie's husband?"  
"Yes. I was working with the bandits for money to help her."

Crow nodded. "I see. Listen, you're a good fighter, and the bandits will probably try to kill you too now. Why don't you come with us – we can't pay you as much, but it's not as dishonest as working with them."  
Dorcas considered this. "Let me talk it over with Natalie first."  
"Of course. Anyway, see you tomorrow." With that, Crow turned and headed towards the entrance, trying not to step in any blood or bodies.

"BOSS!"  
Crow looked up as Marcella swooped down to him.

"Hello, Marcella. Find anything?"  
"All routes are blocked off by bandits, apart from one."  
"Which one?"  
"...The one that goes through Araphen."

Crow froze. "There are no alternatives?"  
"Not unless you want to take a year to get back, no."  
Crow started cursing rapidly. "Dammit! Why?"  
Marcella knew a hypothetical question when she heard one.

"Why do I always end up near that stuck-up moron of a marquess? Last time we met, he tried to execute a group of honest civilians to cover up an atrocity committed by his guard!" Crow ranted. "After we stopped it, he declared me Public Enemy Number one! If Rath hadn't helped from the shadows, Kalut, Fane and I would be hanging on the gallows!"

"Boss?"  
"Yes."  
"You might want to keep the volume down."  
"Right. Sorry." Crow turned and went back inside, as Marcella guided her Pegasus in with her. "Let's get some rest. We've got a long way to go tomorrow."

A/N: For those wondering what Gale did to the leader, two words: Critical. Hit.

My explanations for 'critical hits' are in fact the special moves that can be learned from various secret books. Each belongs to some kind of 'elemental style', but doesn't actually do anything involved with the element unless a certain weapon is used – the element just describes what sort of style it's like. Wind is fast, Fire often effects multiple targets, Water is defensive, Lightning is fast (But not as fast as wind) and strong (But not as much as Earth), and Earth is slow but deals incredible amounts of damage to single targets.

Moves shown so far are:  
Wind Style - Tornado Slash – Lyn used it in Chapter Five during a training session. She doesn't know what it is, but Crow does.

Wind Style - Gale Combo – Gale actually created this move. Used in this chapter against the bandit leader.

Wind Style - Hurricane Slash – Gale used it to charge forward and defeat the two bandits between him and the leader.


	8. Borderline Chaos

A/N: There is no excuse for a delay this long. Or chance in hell of apologizing.

...sorry anyway.

Jack Crow: Rogue Tactician

By FutureCam

Chapter seven: Borderline Chaos

Crow was mad. No-one dared to talk to him anymore – not that many wanted to in the first place, after their revelations – and he just got worse the closer they got to Lycia.

_Stupid, Stupid Araphen..._ He cursed mentally yet again.

Then the screaming cut across his ears. At least, he thought it was screaming, because no human being should be able to produce such a high-pitched sound naturally. Turning towards the source, he saw a pink-haired cleric hiding behind a robed man, facing several bandits.

_They're Ganelon. Must have been chasing us...strange, they don't usually go this close to the border._ He mused. _These ones must have decided to prey on some other travelers while searching._ He watched, bemused, as the robed man muttered something under his breath, and Crow nodded appreciatively when he generated an orb of fire around his fist.

_As I thought. Mage. _

The man hurtled the orb of flame at a nearby archer, setting him alight. In his panic, the archer let loose an arrow that struck deep into the mage's shoulder, throwing him back.

_Time to intervene, I suppose. _Crow thought, before taking in a deep breath and calling out to the group – well, two of them anyway.

"BLACKWINGS! TO ARMS!"

About fifty meters away, Gale and Marcella reacted immediately to their commander's cry, and swiftly turned, Marcella vaulting onto her Pegasus, and the two dashed off towards Crow. When they got there, they saw the situation immediately as the cleric healed the mage, who was desperately holding the bandits off, and proceeded to move down to help.

One of the bandits had managed to get behind the pair, but before it could do anything to the cleric, felt a strange pressure in his chest. He looked down, dumbly, and saw the length of one of Marcella's short spears protruding from it. He coughed up blood and fell over. The remaining two managed to gang up on the mage, but where confronted by a grinning Gale.

"Hey. What's up?" The swordmaster asked, cocking his head to the side. "Bird got your tongue?"  
Crow, who was a few meters behind him, groaned at the pun. _Dammit, Gale...I'll get you back for that._

After the awkward pause which the god-awful pun had brought down, the fight was rather one-sided. Crow turned to the pair of travelers.

"Sorry about that, the Ganelon bandits have been chasing us down for weeks and must have decided to pick on some travelers on the way here." He extended his hand. "Crow."  
The mage looked at him cryptically, before taking it. "Erk. My...employer...is Serra."

The cleric shrieked at Erk. "Quiet, Escort! I'm the one in charge, so I'll talk to the rest!"  
The Blackwings flinched in sympathy for Erk. He honestly got stuck with this...thing...as an employer? Ouch. The cleric bowed her head and giggled.  
"I am the most beautiful and important-"  
"What a vision of loveliness!"  
_For once in my existence, I am glad to see Sain._ Crow thought dryly to himself."That can't have been all of them, they're not _that_ stupid. Stay alert." He told Lyn's group. "Sain, can you take care of the cleric?"  
"But of course!" Sain said, taking Serra's arm and leading her away from the fight...probably to flirt with her.

"Alright, we need to get around this lake to get to Araphen by tomorrow." Kent reported, not noticing how Crow flinched when Araphen was mentioned. "From what Florina said she saw, the bandits are blocking off the clear exits, so we're going to have to take the more obscured path."  
"Right through the mountains." Crow muttered, deep in thought. "The perfect place for an ambush"

"Agreed" Kent said sourly. "What's the plan?"  
Crow thought for a few moments. "Alright...Kent, you, Dorcas and Gale have point. Erk, you and Wil go just behind them, offering fire support. Sain, keep the cleric-"  
"My NAME is SERRA!" The demon in question shrieked.

"Okay, Sain, keep Serra between the forward group and the rearguard."

"And the rearguard is...?"  
"Lyn, Marcella and I"  
"Uh..." Florina shifted uncomfortably "What am I doing?"  
Crow smiled at her. "We need someone to hop over that lake on a bit of a scouting mission. I'd like to know what's waiting for us at the other side."  
"I-I can do that." She muttered, climbing on her pegasus and flying away. The group organized themselves and began to move forwards.  
***

With the rearguard, Marcella was flying up in circles, leaving Crow and Lyn to just walk behind the main group.  
"Crow..." Lyn started tentatively. "Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"  
"No" Crow said, keeping his eyes on the road...and the mountains. Lyn was clearly annoyed by this action.  
"CROW!"  
"What?"  
"I'm not stupid. Marcella can fly out of earshot and perform the rearguard duties herself, and the rest are too far away to hear us. What do you want to say?"  
"I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept that secret from you."  
Lyn looked at him in disgust. Crow sighed and rubbed his temples.  
"Listen. If you knew who I was, then it was only a matter of time before word got out, and then every assassin, bandit and wannabe famous mercenary would be at our throats. I was _trying_ to make sure that _didn't _happen!" Crow nearly yelled. "Do you realize what could have happened? As soon as anyone found out who I was and who I was traveling with, they would have sent men to try and kill us all!"  
"...they could have found out anyway..."  
"No, Lyn, they couldn't. I disguised myself too well for that. The problem is, Saceans never lie. If anyone asked who your companion was...you'd have to tell the truth, wouldn't you?"  
"I wouldn't have-"  
"Lyn." Crow said firmly. "Could you lie to someone?"  
Lyn looked downcast. "...no." She muttered, looking disgusted...at herself this time. Crow put a hand on her shoulder.  
"Lyn. Maybe I used the wrong methods, but...I've been trying to keep you all safe this entire time. Not just you, but everyone we met since we started to travel." Crow cracked a smile. "Anyway, Sirocco will be glad to see you."  
"Sirocco?"  
"The other Lorcan I told you about. He works for me...in fact, he takes charge when I'm gone." Crow grinned. "He'll be really happy to meet you."  
Lyn smiled back at Crow for the first time in weeks. "Yeah...I think I'll be happy to see him too."  
The rearguard caught up to a sign of devastation – on the opposing side, that is. The only injuries on Crow's team were Sain, who'd taken an ax through the shoulder. Serra was healing him.

Crow walked up to them.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked. Marcella groaned.

"Long story."  
There was a brief pause, and then a crash. Crow and Kent turned quickly...and saw Sain and Gale fighting over Serra, who just sat there giggling.

Kent groaned.

"Oh dear god, there's two of them." He muttered, facepalming. Crow paled.

"...moving right along..." He muttered. "Where are you two going?"  
Erk answered for him.

"Etruria, but we're passing through Caelin on the way there...I assume that is where you are headed as well?"  
Crow nodded reluctantly. "Aye, we are."  
Erk shut his tome, stowing it in his robes.

"Well, it would only be prudent for us to accompany each other, wouldn't it?"  
"Indeed."  
The two shook hands. Deal.

...two hours marching later, and Crow found himself looking down at the gates of Araphen.

...while the city was on fire. Only two words sprang to mind when he saw that.

"Well, crap."

Gale groaned. "Not again..."

Marcella shook her head. "...we gonna curry favor by saving the city?"  
"Yes. Yes we are." Crow growled. For once Kent agreed with him.

"He's got a point." Kent admitted. "It would help our chances of aid from the Marquess..."  
Lyn nodded. "What are we waiting for, then?"

One thought crossed Crow's mind as they ran towards the gates.

'This is going to SUCK...'


End file.
